


After Dinner

by BlueCaty



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26303716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueCaty/pseuds/BlueCaty
Summary: *One shot what-if story. More like wishful thinking, daydreaming of what I would like to happen in the next episode of Midnight Poppy Land. It is set up at the end of episode 43 and continues as a product of my own imagination. All characters belong to Lilydusk, any similarities to the actual plot of the webcomic are purely coincidental or a very good guess on my side as a result of my analysis of the characters.*
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 17
Kudos: 117





	After Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece I wrote 4 weeks ago, but since it was related to a fast pass episode, I thought it was fair to wait until the episode became available for all the readers. Therefore I posted it only on the Facebook Fast Pass Group. For those of you who fast pass, please do not post spoilers in the comments.

**After Dinner**

**One-shot “what if” story**

“I’m in the mafia.”

Poppy bit her bottom lip and looked away. Cordelia shot a questioning look at Quincey. And Quincey had had about enough. This was a disaster.

“Bro, I think you had an overdose of cough syrup. Maybe we should call it a night, I can see you are in no state of continuing this dinner.”

Tora threw the cutlery on the plate and stood up, rattling the table “Fine. Whatever. I’m leaving.”

Quincey turned to Cordelia with a forced smile. “Sugarplum, do you mind taking Poppy home on your bike? I’ll get the check and call a cab.”

Poppy shifted slightly in her seat “There’s no need, Quincey...I’ll..”

“I’ll take ya,” grunted Tora out of the blue. Three pairs of eyes fixed him at once. Oblivious to Quincey and Cordelia, Tora stared at Poppy, waiting for her to get up. 

“No way in hell are you going home with that asshole!” Cordelia replied, but a quick shake of the head from Quincey made her shut up at once. A tiny smirk appeared for a second on the corner of his mouth. 

“It’s okay, Cordy. He’s just sick,” Poppy replied, grabbing her bag. “Thank you for dinner, Quincey. I’ll call you with the details for the proposal.” 

“Like hell, ya will!” Tora was getting riled up again.

Poppy smiled at Cordelia, making a short bow. “It was a pleasure meeting you.” She walked passed Tora, snarling, “Let’s go already. We’ll discuss this outside.” Tora tramped out of the room, following her without another word. 

Tora slammed the car door after Poppy got in and circled the vehicle, throwing himself into the driver’s seat. He blew his nose with another loud honk. 

“Bruh, you’re a pain in the ass when you’re sick, you know that?”

Tora looked at Poppy in disbelief. “Did ya not hear me out there? Ya have no idea what ya have got yourself into…”

“I heard you loud and clear. But this has nothing to do with you.”

“Bullshit!” he roared. 

Poppy raised her voice as well. “The world does not revolve around you, you know? This **was** a business meeting before you stormed in and acted up like an overgrown toddler! Do you think I don’t know this is going to be awkward for us?” 

“This is not about that! Ya have to keep away from Quincey…”

“Oh fudge off, “ she interrupted him. “Quincey is our company’s chance of bouncing back on the market. What the hell did I work for for the past few weeks? Chasing that salty old fart and promising him we’d sign the author he chooses in exchange for his funding? Well he chose Quincey! How am I supposed to make a living, if the company goes belly up?”

“At least ya’d be alive!” He shouted and glared at her, feeling his neck cords strained to a painful sensation. The vein on his forehead was still pulsating. And on top of that, his nose was so stuffed, he could barely breathe. 

Silence fell between them. Poppy’s hands were clenched into tiny fists. She sat with her back straight, legs tightly together, tense as a spring. Tora watched as tears gathered in her bright caramel eyes, threatening to spill over and carry away with them all his anger and resolve. 

_Great. Now ya made her cry. Ya really are an asshole, ain’t ya?_

He put the car into gear and drove away from the restaurant. They spent the rest of the ride without speaking, Poppy looking out the side window, her face obscured from his sight. City lights passed them by, casting shadows inside the car, as Tora steered out of the bright neighborhoods onto the sinuous road leading to her home. He kept his eyes on the road ahead, stealing side-glances once in a while at her, hoping she would say something, hoping she would listen to reason. 

How did things get so messed up so quickly? He made sure he cut off all ties with her. What the fuck was going on in Princess’s head dragging her back into his life? How on earth would he get Poppy to renounce Quincey now? She was so stubborn and… fierce… and smart… beautiful…She should not involve herself in clan business. And Quincey was like a fucking shiny neon sign for clan business. One wrong step… if they found out about her...Sick fucks like Scharch would have so much fun with her. Goddammit! He was so fucking scared for her. 

He did not realize how hard he was gripping the steering wheel until they arrived at her apartment building and he let it go, feeling another dull pain settling in his wrists. The street was empty and Tora parked the car near the gateway. 

He turned towards her and, meeting her gaze, said softly. “I’m sorry. For shouting at ya. And calling ya shorty and stuff. I didn’t know how to make ya understand.” He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve some tension. 

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have picked on your choice of clothes. I actually think the Dino is cute.” Poppy spoke calmly, gesturing towards his shirt. 

“It’s a T-”

“T-Rex, I know.” Poppy rolled her eyes. “I heard you the first time. You look terrible though. Come on up, I’ll make you some tea.”

He followed her again. His whole body was aching and tea did not sound so bad after all. And if he could use the time to talk some sense into her, then even better.

Poppy left her shoes and bag in the hallway and went into the kitchen. She washed her hands and put a kettle on the stove. While she took out some tea leaves from the cupboard, she said ”I do understand, Tora. It’s just that… I don’t think I have a choice anymore. I cannot go against my boss and all I’ve worked for until now.” She sounded sad but determined. 

Tora leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched her set up a tray with two mugs, tea infuser, and a small jar of honey. He felt a fever working its way up to his head. He should solve this once and for all. And then he would go back home, crawl under the blanket and sleep his damn cold and nerves away. 

“Quincey’s bad news, Poppy. **I am** bad news. I didn’t lie back there. I can’t believe you’re not scared. What the fuck do I have to do to make ya drop this?” He sounded harsher than he would have liked. And louder too. Fuck this cold. Fuck Quincey and his meddling. Fuck his life. 

Poppy scowled at him defiantly. “I did not choose Quincey as the author, Tora! Mr. Lam did. He wanted nobody else and I promised I would get the job done.” She raised her voice, “As for you, I get it. You want me to stay away. Fine! I’ll ask Quincey not to involve you in our meetings. We’ll be miles apart. Happy? But don’t go sticking your nose in my business, why do you care anyway?”

Tora straightened up and made two heavy steps towards her. “Why do I care? Why?” He was towering over her now, raging mad. Without thinking he blurted out, “Because I fucking like ya, that’s why!” 

_Fuck._

Deadly silence. Tora leaned towards her. He was so close now. She was a sight to see...red, glistening lips, mouth half-open, bright eyes that looked...surprised? Not angry. Not scared. More like...a blush began to color her face, sweeping over her neck and collarbone, going deep into the red blouse...Time stopped. One. Heavy. Second. Did she forget to breathe? Did he? Hush...Her chest contracted slightly. One breath. He was lost. Completely fucking lost. 

He cupped her face and kissed her, wildly, renouncing the last bit of control he had left. Poppy clung to his shirt, pulling him closer. Not enough, not close enough. Tora circled her in his arms, lifting her off the ground, drawing her harder against him. She was all soft and warm, driving him insane. She hung her arms around his neck, knotting her fingers into his messy hair. So fucking lost. His heart drummed loudly in his chest, echoing through their tightly pressed bodies...or was it hers? It didn’t matter. The fear, the anger, the pain, they didn’t matter. Only her lips, her soft, sweet tongue that welcomed his, the burning desire that consumed him, and her, only her...responding to him. So fucking lost. This was no damn peck. This was madness. This was his deepest wish. The one he felt ashamed to recognize to himself. For this woman to be his, to be allowed to have her. And feeling her now, wrapped around him, radiating heat and kissing him back, he wished she would never let him go.

A sharp whistle scared them both, breaking their embrace. The water reached boiling point and the kettle rattled and whistled on the stove. Tora put Poppy down and before she got the chance to push him away, he backed off. “I’ll be in the living room.” And left, leaving her dazed and confused, as he was trying to gather his wits and think. 

_Fuck. This is bad. Ya couldn’t control yourself, could ya? Shit. What have ya done, ya fucking idiot?_

He sat on a pillow at the low table, scooting closer to the bed so that he could lean against it. He was so fucking tired. And sick. Ugh. _What a disaster._

Poppy came in carrying the tray she arranged earlier. She was flushed and her hands shook a little when she put the tray down. She handed him a tea mug, careful not to spill it, and sat near him at the table. Tora took a sip. It was hot. Sweet. Fruity. A mix of herbs and lemon, strawberry, and mint. The most delicious tea he ever tasted. He felt the warmth traveling inside his body, relieving pain from the aching muscles, relaxing him. 

“Tora...I…” she started, but he could not take it. He didn’t want to hear her rejection. As much as it was needed, it would still hurt. 

“‘S okay. There’s no need to talk about it. I got carried away, that’s it.” He took another sip. “It will never happen again.”

“But Tora...I...just...damnit! I like you too, ok?” Poppy’s words escaped her. “There. And I don’t want to be away from you, and I don’t care you’re in the mafia. Did you think I couldn’t figure it out for myself? I just...feel better when I’m with you. I want you in my life.” 

Tora was at a loss for words. She still wanted...him? With all the gory, messy, shitty details of his fucked up life? She did not know how he was, **what** he was. She did not know what she was getting herself into. And yet...she wanted him. The small spark of joy hearing her saying those words. It was like a light, a flickering, tiny light went on inside his body. _And I want her so fucking bad. Shit. How the fuck am I going to protect her now?_

He took another mouthful of tea and closed his eyes, resting his head on the bed frame. So fucking tired. 

“Tora? Are you okay?” Poppy leaned against him and tucked his hair behind the ear. She felt the heat radiating from his forehead, that was now covered in beads of sweat. “Tora, you’re burning up! Lay down, I’ll bring you something for the fever.” 

She got up and rushed out of the room. Tora put the mug on the table and lay down on Poppy’s bed, near the edge. _Maybe five minutes._ He heard her rattling in some cabinets. She was so concerned about him. He smiled to himself. _So cute._

Poppy returned with a damp towel, some tablets and a glass of water. She kneeled at the side of the bed, tugging at him to lift himself up to take the medicine. Tora washed down the white little pills with some water and laid back down. His head was spinning and he closed his eyes. He felt her small hands tying his hair back and then the lukewarm towel over his forehead. That felt good. He got hold of one of her hands, put it over his chest, and laid his other hand over it, caressing it gently. Sleep was crawling in, he could not open his eyes, but he must. He must leave her be, get away from her… but she wanted him. She. Wanted. Him. 

He whispered, “What are we going to do now, sweetheart?”

Poppy reached out and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. “We’ll figure it out, Tora. Rest now.” She watched him drift away into the arms of heavy, feverish sleep. “We’ll figure something out. Tomorrow.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
